Pa. Sen. Doug Mastriano said the fight wasn't over. Then he organized a trip to the Capitol.
State Sen. Doug Mastriano vowed Tuesday on the Pennsylvania Capitol steps that the election fight wasn't over.
A day later, he traveled on the bus trip he organized to a "Save America Rally" that turned into an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, when four people died, 14 police officers were injured and 68 rioters were arrested.
Mastriano, a Republican from Franklin County, said he was not part of the mob that stormed the Capitol, smashing windows, vandalizing offices and reigning terror over the people's house.
But state Democrats are calling for his resignation and removal from office.
At one point, the rioters, who said they were in Washington, D.C., to save America, took down American flags at the Capitol and replaced them with Trump flags.
Mastriano maintains he wasn't part of that.
“My wife and I went to Washington, D.C., today to support President Trump, which should not surprise anyone familiar with my views on this election and my concerns about its integrity," Mastriano said in a statement late Wednesday.
Mastriano organized a hearing with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani in Harrisburg in November, claiming the election was fraudulent.
More than 80 courts have ended or tossed out Trump campaign lawsuits, saying they did not provide evidence of widespread fraud as claimed.
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Mastriano supports Trump, but he said he does not support lawlessness.
"When it was apparent that this was no longer a peaceful protest, my wife and I left the area and made our way out of the area," he said. "At no point did we enter the Capitol building, walk on the Capitol steps or go beyond police lines."
Mastriano, who spent more than 30 years in the Army, said he condemned the violence at the U.S. Capitol.
"As a military veteran and retired colonel, I do not – nor would I ever – condone the violence we saw today," he said in the statement.
He added: "Today was a sad day for our country. It hit me especially hard because I’ve spent most of my adult life defending our nation’s freedoms and ensuring that our constitutional rights are protected."
State Democrats say Mastriano shouldn't have been there at all.
"Doug Mastriano is a sitting senator who actively organized a violent insurrection in an attempt to prevent a peaceful transfer of power," state Sen. Tim Kearney, a Delaware County Democrat, said in a statement.
"Sen. Corman and GOP leadership should call for his immediate resignation. If not, he should be removed from all committee or leadership positions."
State Rep. Brian Sims, a Democrat from Philadelphia, joined in the call for Mastriano's resignation. Then he took it a step further.
"Justice is NOT Doug Mastriano’s resignation," Sims said. "Justice is an investigation, indictment, arrest, prosecution, and conviction. His resignation or expulsion is just what’s necessary in our democracy."
State Rep. Joe Webster, a Democrat from Montgomery County who retired as an Air Force colonel with more than three decades of service, said Mastriano should be tried for offenses against military law.
"Mastriano is a retired military officer," Webster said. "He should be recalled to active duty by the Army, as appropriate. And he should be called to face a court-martial."
Calls from Democratic politicians have been joined by social media users who have also requested and signed petitions for Mastriano's removal.
House members cannot remove a state senator. That would rest with the state Senate.
As of noon Thursday, state Senate leaders have not yet responded to calls for Mastriano's resignation.
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Candy Woodall is a reporter for the USA Today Network. She can be reached at 717-480-1783 or on Twitter at @candynotcandace.